Note di contesto sulle acquasantiere a fusto del santuario di Santa Maria delle Grazie a Fornò

A pair of stoups, carved in white marble, is placed at the entrance of the sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Fornò, in the municipality of Forlì – based on the same conceptual scheme, they appear rather varied from a decorative point of view. Generally dated to the 15th century and sometimes referred to the workshop of Agostino di Duccio, who was active in nearby Rimini until the first half of 1467, the two works have never received more than the guarantee of a scant mention, despite the fact that they introduce themselves, in the sculptural panorama of Romagna, as a rare document pertaining to a type of monumental furnishing that is still sporadically considered. This essay aims to outline the context within which the stoups were made, first by retracing the architectural history concerning the sanctuary and, finally, by including the pair in a broader typological framework to propose a plausible chronology of patronage and making.